Beginner Audiophile | HiFi | Gear Reviews | Stereo | Hi-End Audio

Episode 22 of Beginner Audiophile is jam packed! Patrick Norton Co-Hosts this one with Michael O’Neal.  We talk about the reality vs. myth of amps vs. watts in amplifiers, dig into reviews of the Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless and the Hive Home Security System, answer a few listener questions, and announce the winner of the 1moreusa.com triple driver earbuds!!  

On today’s ep. Harris and I talk about what we saw and heard at CES.  We’ve also got a new contest where you can win a pair of 1moreUSA Triple Driver Earbuds!

Patrick Norton (http://tekthing.com) joins me, through a hacking cough, to wrap up all things audio and home theater we discovered at CES (The Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas at the beginning of January 2018. Gear Guide: * RHA T20i Hi-res in-ear headphones with DualCoil driver  * JDS Labs The Element DAC * Schiit Fulla 2 DAC * Audioquest Nighthawk Headphones * Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Studio Headphones * Beyerdynamic Aventho Wireless * Song: Hey Now by London Grammar * MEE Audio * Sennheiser HD1 Wireless Headphones With Active Noise Cancellation * Elac B6 Bookshelf Speakers * KEF LS 50 Speakers * MrSpeakers Headphones * HSU Research Amps Find @patricknorton on Twitter Connect with us: * Instagram * Website * Kit.com * Email

Today’s episode is an excerpt from a fantastic New Yorker article entitled “Audiophilia Forever: An Expensive New Year’s Shopping Guide” written by David Denby. (Click here to read the entire article) It does such a great job explaining what an audiophile is, the recent history of audiophile music and recordings, and the “state of the union” of audiophilia in 2018, that I wrote him and asked for special permission to read an excerpt of the article on the show. Please connect with David Denby at http://www.david-denby.com/ Episode artwork background image by Janne Livonen  

On today’s show we chat with Matthew from Vinyl Revival in Melbourne Australia.  We had a great convo about the renaissance of “good” audio, getting huge bang for the buck out of your turntable, and his choices for systems costing $1000, $2500, and $5000! Be sure to subscribe, and follow us on Instagram as well. Topics, Highlights & Gear * Vinyl Revival * Ortofon 2m Red * Rega 2 Turntable * Pro-Ject Phono Box E Phonograph Preamplifier * Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Audiophile Turntable * Rotel A10 Amplifier * OPPO Sonica DAC * ELAC Adante Bookshelf Speakers * Cambridge Audio * Rega 3 Turntable * Focal Speakers * B&W Speakers * Prima Luna Integrated Amplifier * Pro-Ject Turntables on Amazon * Pro-Ject 2Xperience Turntable * Hana Cartridges * Shabata Cartridges * Klipsch Speakers * McIntosh Labs * JBL * Technics SL 1200

Fellow audio nerds!  We’re back.  After a long (inadvertent) haitus, BA is back.  Michael gives a breakdown of how audio works based on a great analogy by Steve Guttenberg, then digs into a bunch of your questions.  Then, Harris pops in with a breakdown of the NY Audio Show!  Enjoy! Gear Guide, Topics & Highlights: * Audirvana * FLAC * Airfoil * Mac Mini * PS Audio Sprout * Rialto 600 Amp * Peachtree Audio * Zu Audio Druid Mark 4 Speakers * 1MOREUSA Headphones * Audioquest Dragonfly * 1MORE Quad Driver In-Ear Earbuds * Marantz – US | Home * Polk Audio * NAD Electronics D3020 Hybrid Digital Amplifier * ELAC Debut B6 * ELAC Adante Speakers * KEF LS50 Speakers * New York Audio Show * The+Record Player * Hooke Audio Bluetooth 3D In Ear Headphones  

Ahhhhhh….subwoofers. That “Punch you in the chest” feeling when your favorite song really moves you. Although subwoofers are easy to plug in and turn up loud, that doesn’t give us a true audiophile experience. We want to feel it…but only if it’s being called upon.  So, in this episode, President and Managing Partner of SVSound Gary Yacoubian and Marketing Director Nicholas Brown sit down at the Rocky Mountain Audio Festival and shower their knowledge upon us! We dig into tons of topics, including: * The “Subwoofer Crawl” * How to integrate a sub into a 2 channel and multichannel system * How to set up multiple subs in one room * Is EQ necessary? * How much movement makes a difference in the sound * How SVS can help you tune your system * Tons and tons and tons more. GEAR GUIDE * Peachtree Audio * Elac – The life of sound * SV Sound Website * SVS Subwoofer * Audyssey GREAT PLAYLIST(S) Consistently at these shows, David Solomon from Peachtree Audio and Andrew Jones from Elac are fabulous demo-music-pickers to make their gear sound great.  I conned David into sharing his Tidal playlists with us, so you can hear how great your system sounds with great music. To play, you should be able to click the link and Tidal will open.  Then “favorite” or “add to playlist” or “create playlist”.  You need to be logged in for it to work. Dave’s Faves  (Click title for direct link)  Dave’s Fave’s II (Click title for direct link)  

On this episode of Beginner Audiophile Harris and Michael talk about what a pro-audio show is like, and our secret to maintaining consistency as we audition gear.  Michael then reviews the Sonus Faber Principia 1 Bookshelf Speakers, and we get into the picks of the week! One thing to add: If you are using a flash drive for your auditioning, make sure you include FLAC, AIFF, and the highest res MP3, because you never know what gear they’ll have at the other end. Gear Guide & Music Talk: * Sonus Faber Principia 1 Bookshelf Speaker * OPPO Sonica DAC * Paradigm Studio 60 Speakers * Marantz SR7009 Receiver * Emotiva XPA–5 Amplifier * SVS Subwoofer * Pro-Ject Turntables * IKEA Ivar Shelf Unit * QUAD Downfiring Sub * Rialto 600 * Michael’s Custom Shelf On Instagram * Made in America Festival * Monster Cables * Beats by Dre * Apple * The Show – High End Audio Show * Rocky Mountain Audio Show * CES * Sprout ELAC System Integrated Amplifier by PS Audio * Audioengine HD3 Speakers * AudioEngine B2 Speakers * KEF Q350 Speakers * Schiit Phono Preamp * ELAC Debut B6 Speakers * Bottom Firing speaker Port * Learn how to network better with Michael’s free Conferencetopia Course * Steely Dan * Listen to Aja by Steely Dan * Listen to Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan on Tidal * Listen to Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan on Tidal * Listen to Countdown to Ecstasy by Steely Dan on Tidal * Listen to Katy Lied by Steely Dan on Tidal * How to save a Search...

Today we’re talking a bit of turntables, and what it takes to set one up.  Turntables used to be the “gold standard” for listening, until digital files came along.  Now, we are romanticizing the process…and it’s well worth it.  After talking turntables,  We also dig into a question or two, and give you the picks of the show!   Gear Guide & Music Talk: * Audio Engine AptX Turntable * Capitol Records * Frank Sinatra * Tidal * Spotify * Beats By Dre * The Grateful Dead * Sonos * Dolby Atmos * Bose Cube * The Show * Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Pure Audio On Amazon * The Rocky Horror Picture Show * Pro-ject Audio Essential 3 Turntable * Pro-ject Audio Signature 12 Turntable * Rega Record Player * Ohm Acoustics * Dynabecker Ruby Cartridge * Music Hall Turntables By Roy Hall * Send Your Cds To Murfie For Streaming Anywhere * Pioneer Audio * Amazon Fire * Listen To Grebfruit 2 By Benny Greb * Famous Blue Raincoat By Jennifer Warnes On Tidal * Koko Taylor on Tidal * 1812 Overture

On today’s episode, after we catch up, we talk about unboxing some new Sonus Faber and Pro-Ject gear, including Michael’s first Turntable.  Then we jump into how to audition new audio gear, especially speakers.  We review the 1moreusa Quad Driver earbuds, and finally wrap it up with our picks of the week! Make sure you subscribe on iTunes or your favorite podcast app! Gear guide: * Sonos Faber * McIntosh Audio * Audio Research * Wadia * Sumiko * Project Audio * Waam Audio * Shure cartridges * 1MOREUSA * Etymotic headphones * Planar magnetics * Magnepan speakers * OPPO * MaiA My Audio Integrated Amplifier * Soundboard.com

On today’s show Harris and Michael talk about songs and albums they use to “test and tune” their systems.  We also briefly talk about a couple pieces of gear we are testing: The AudioControl Rialto 600 integrated amplifier, and the NEXDrive Spectra Headphone DAC/Amp.  Mike talks about his home setup with Kodi and Airfoil, and Harris talks about backing up your system and making a NAS drive. Gear Guide, Topics & Songs * AudioControl Rialto 600 Amplifier * Mac Pro * Seagate Enterprise Drives * Cheesegrater Mac Pro * Mac Edition Radio * The Society of Sound * Bower & Wilkins * Kodi App * JBOOD * Network Access Server – NAS * FLAC file format * DLNA Protocol * OPPO Sonica DAC * McIntosh Integrated Amps * SONOS Faber * Jennifer Warnes Ballad of the Runaway horse * The WAF * The Master Set * Tin Pan Alley Stevie Ray Vaughan * Simply Red – Sunrise * OTT – Queen of all everything * Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion * Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion

On today’s show, after catching up with Harris and Michael, we talk about DTS-PlayFi and other wireless home technologies, give some feedback on the ELAC UB5, Harris reviews the AudioQuest Dragonfly and the Night Owl carbon headphones, and introduce you to some great new music that just came out.   Gear Guide & Links * Niagara Falls * Maid of the Mist boat * ELAC Audio * Buffalo, New York * ONKYO * Techniques turntables * eLac UB5 * Phorus R5 * Yamaha Wireless Protocol * Tyco – Awake * Airfoil App * Roon * Rogue Amoeba * Bluetooth 4.0 * Audio Hijack * CE Week in NYC * Raspberry Pi * AudioQuest Black DragonFly * AudioQuest Red DragonFly * Audioquest Jitterbug * HRT High Resolution Technologies * AudioQuest Night Hawk * AudioQuest Night Owl * AudioQuest Night Owl Carbon * Miles Davis – Kind of Blue * Snarky Puppy * Snarky Puppy – We Like It Here Album * Larnell Lewis * Beatles – Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Remastered * Jaco Pastorius

On today’s show we have a special announcement!  We have a new Co-host, Mr. Harris Fogel!  (Star of Episode 9)  Harris has been in the biz for many many years, and will offer years of “insider” perspective.  This episode was great…we caught up with Harris and his home reference systems, then we chatted about the LA Audio Show. Michael reviews the flagship AVR from Anthem the MRX 1120, then we dig into your questions! Find Harris at http://maceditionradio.com Find Michael at http://solohour.com We like to talk through Instagram:  Follow us there http://instagram.com/beginneraudiophile Gear Guide: * Seagraph Conference * LA Photographic Center * LA Convention Center * Red Dragonfly 2nd Generation Portable DAC * Audioquest Jitterbug USB Data & Power Noise Filter * OPPO HA1 Headphone Amplifier * Black Dragonfly DAC * OPPO Planarmagnetic PR3 * Pioneer DVD Player * CBS * The Grateful Dead * Wall of Sound * Mickey Hart – Planet Drum * The Grateful Dead – Workingman’s Dead * The Grateful Dead – American Beauty * Mixing in Surround * Pioneer SE71 Amp * Wharfedale Diamond 220 * Wharfedale D8 Subwoofer * Ferromagnetic Fluid * ELAC Debut B6 Speakers * ELAC Uni-Fi * Power Tip: your speakers have a rear port (hole) you have to keep them at least a couple of feet from the wall, otherwise you’ll get a whoofing noise/port noise. * Amazon Foam Stands *

Just back from the LA Audio Show, and we got some GREAT interviews with William Kline of Sonus Faber/Mcintosh, Ari Morguelan from 1MoreUSA, Chris Sipes from Paradigm/Anthem, and Gregg Chopper from Cambridge Audio, all of whom shared amazing insights about their products, the industry, and where we’re going. Most importantly, they all had to answer the question:  What would you do with $3000? Gear Guide, Topics & Highlights: * Serafino Tradition Floor Speakers * Serafino Homage Line * McIntosh Audio * Revel Speakers * Analog vs. Vinyl * Sumiko Audio * Pro-Ject Turntables * Sonus Faber Dealer Network * McIntosh 2 Channel Amps on eBay * Pro-Ject Debut III Turntable * Pro-Ject Xtension 12 Turntable * Pro-Ject 1Xpression III Turntable * Sonus Faber Chameleon C Speakers * Sonus Faber Musica Integrated Amplifier * Sonus Faber Official Instagram Page * Sonus Faber on Youtube * Sonus Faber on Twitter * 1MoreUSA Triple Driver In-Ear Headphones * 1MoreUSA MK802 Bluetooth Wireless Over-Ear Headphones * 1MoreUSA Website * 1MoreUSA on Facebook * 1MoreUSA on Instagram

Harris Fogel (http://maceditionradio.com) joins us for a chat about how he became an audiophile, what kind of gear to look at, and how he’d spend $1500 to get great sound!           Gear Guide, Topics & Highlights: * Philip Glass – Glassworks Album * Polk Speakers * Ampzilla * Dynaco * Hafler Amps * Luxman Turntables * TIDAL * audioquest DragonFly * Philips Magnavox * Audioengine DAC * OPPO Sonica DAC * 1MORE Triple Driver In-Ear Earbuds * 1MORE Quad Driver In-Ear Earbuds * OPPO 105 Blu Ray player * Astell & Kern AK Junior amplifier * OPPO PM–3 Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones * Etymotic Research ER4 Earphones * Audio Technica ATH-M50x Monitor Headphones * Hi-Res Audio | High Resolution Audio for Best Sound Quality | Sony US * Speakers – Diamond 10.1 | Wharfedale Hi-Fi * Hi-Res Audio | High Resolution Audio for Best Sound Quality | Sony US * Direct Stream Digital – Wikipedia * Elac – The life of sound * Element Integrated Amplifier – Elac *